An automated guided vehicle (“AGV”) may be used for a variety of tasks, such as to transport payloads along a predetermined route without a real-time human operator. As one example, an AGV may transport materials from one location to another along the predetermined route, for example, within a manufacturing facility, to allow various manufacturing operations to be performed on the materials.
One disadvantage of the use of an AGV is that the predetermined route travelled by the AGV is often fixed and immobile. As examples, the predetermined route may be formed by an electrified guide wire system that is integrated (e.g., buried) in the floor of the manufacturing facility or a guide rail system that is coupled to the floor. Due to the inflexibility of the predetermined route travelled by the AGV, areas accessible to the AGV and the overall utility of the AGV may be reduced.
Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue with research and development efforts in the field of guiding an AGV along a predetermined path.